More than 100 of the biggest players in food, including all of the UK’s major supermarkets, have signed a pledge to drive down food waste following a call to action from the government.
Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, M&S, Morrisons, Waitrose, Ocado, Caffé Nero, Co-op, Costa, Starbucks, Nestlé, and Unilever, are amongst the firms that have signed a pledge committing to help halve food waste by 2030 and raise public awareness of the issue.
Currently in the UK an estimated 10.2 million tonnes of food and drink are wasted annually after leaving the farm gate, worth around £20bn. It is estimated that UK householders spend £15bn every year on food that could have been eaten but ends up being thrown away, equating to £500 a year for the average household.
Today’s announcement comes after the government’s Food Surplus and Waste Champion Ben Elliot urged organisations to ‘Step up to the Plate’ at a conference last month. The event brought together around 300 key players from various parts of the food industry for a day of targeted discussion and action.
Elliot said: “We are pleased to see these retailers committing to change. To those retailers yet to sign the pledge – why not? You have a responsibility to step up and do your bit.
“We will be highlighting those who participate and those who do not. The food waste crisis can only be solved by collective action.”
Stefano Agostini, Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé UK & Ireland, commented: “Food waste is a critical issue, from an environmental and social perspective and one where we all have a role to play.
“It is crucially important that we work together to help reduce food waste across our own operations, our supply chains and also support consumers to reduce food waste in the home.”
Judith Batchelar, Director of Sainsbury’s Brand, added: “Food waste is one of the biggest challenges currently facing today’s society and an intrinsic part of our combined response to tackle greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. At Sainsbury’s it continues to be an urgent and important priority for us to tackle.
“By working collaboratively with others, from suppliers through to fellow retailers, we can work to eliminate surplus waste within every part of the supply chain process and achieve the impact that we all want to see.”
NAM Implications:
- Getting it right (reducing food wastage) means in the UK saving an estimated 10.2 million tonnes of food and drink are wasted annually after leaving the farm gate, worth around £20bn.
- This will come off existing demand in the process…
- …meaning these quantities need to be factored into long term thinking by NAMs.
